Justin Ho, a current dental student with an expected graduation in 2026, loves the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, and wants other prospective students to know how great it is.

“When I was mentoring pre-dental students, I found many of them never considered Minnesota, just because they didn’t know much about it,” he explained. Given his own experience with the dental school’s programming and preparation as an undergraduate, Mr. Ho worked with his fellow American Student Dental Association (ASDA) members to bridge that gap.

Read on as Mr. Ho details his solution of Mini Dental School, an eight-week, hybrid program meant to introduce predental and undergraduate learners to dentistry and the University of Minnesota. In its inaugural year, Mr. Ho and his classmates journeyed with 85 students, “letting them dip their toes into the water and see what dental school is like.”

... See More

As the 2024-25 ADEA AADSAS^® (ADEA Associated American Dental Schools Application Service) application prepares to accept the first submissions on June 4, many predental students may still be deciding on which schools to apply to this cycle. Troi Davis, a first-year student at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, has some advice for an easier decision-making process.

“I employed a systematic approach and began by compiling a list of dental schools that captured my interest, noting essential aspects,” Ms. Davis said. Read on as she shares how she evaluated each school while reflecting on her own unique priorities and values. 

... See More

In the feature “10 Questions With...,” we shine a spotlight on various ADEA members, asking them 10 questions—both professional and personal—that give us all a chance to get to know each other better. Recently, we interviewed Ms. Sarah Lynn, a fourth-year dental student at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and an academic liaison for the ADEA Council of Students, Residents and Fellows (ADEA COSRF). ... See More

For this month’s feature “10 Questions With...,” we shine a spotlight on various ADEA members, asking them 10 questions – both professional and personal – that give all a chance to get to know each other better. Recently, we interviewed Ms. Janika James, a third-year dental student at Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry (Meharry SOD). 
... See More

In the feature 5 Questions With..., we shine a spotlight on various ADEA members, asking them five questions (both professional and personal), giving us all a chance to get to know one another better. Recently we interviewed Ms. Jessica Poon a fourth-year dental student at University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry. 

... See More

Many dental schools across the United States are integrating interprofessional education (IPE) into their curriculum. The incorporation of IPE leads to interprofessional practice which promotes comprehensive care across health care professions, aiming to strengthen the health care system and reduce disparities and costs. As research continues to provide evidence linking the association of oral and systemic health, the shift toward IPE in dental schools is inevitable. 

Read on as third-year dental students Sara Kashani and Lena Syed share details about Students for Interprofessional Practice and Education, a student-led organization at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine created with a vision of fostering and supporting opportunities for interprofessional collaboration between dental and other health professions. 

... See More

“Whether you’re beginning a predoctoral program leading to a D.M.D. or D.D.S. degree or beginning an allied dental health program leading to a degree in dental hygiene, assisting, therapy or laboratory technology—welcome to the start of your dental school journey,” says Elyse Estra, a third-year dental student at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine.

“The adjustment to dental school, for me, is exciting, yet seemingly familiar. The first day of school means new faces, new lockers, new classrooms and a new workload. You’ve handled this before! Make a friend, ask for directions and welcome each day with an open mind.” Keep reading to learn more about the things Ms. Estra continues to remind herself three years into her own dental school journey.

... See More

“There are many routes and career paths within dentistry. One such route is academic dentistry,” says Sarah Dobson, a second-year dental student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry.

“Academic dental careers allow individuals to work outside of private clinical practice. These roles may look like part-time or full-time positions at a dental school through involvement in research, teaching a didactic or clinical course, serving as an attending in clinical practice or fulfilling an administrative role.” Read on to learn more about why Ms. Dobson is pursuing a career in academic dentistry and its benefits.  

... See More

Many dental hygiene students search for programs that not only teach the discipline’s essentials, but also help students enter the workforce upon graduation. “My dental hygiene program was very rigorous, not to mention the worldwide pandemic that occurred midway into my training,” says Joel Bautista, a recent graduate of West Coast University’s dental hygiene program. Read on as Bautista reflects on his experience as a dental hygiene student in an accelerated program during a pandemic and shares some words of wisdom for allied dental students entering similar programs.

... See More

“Whether you are in the process of applying to a dental hygiene program, about to start your first semester or maybe even just beginning to think about dental hygiene as a career, you may want to consider what day-to-day life would look like in this academic program,” says

Third-year Dental Hygiene Student Caitlin Gray and Fourth-year Dental Hygiene Student Rachel Schwartz. Both attend the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and want to provide you with some insight on what to expect in a dental hygiene program and how to manage your personal life while in the program. “We’ll walk you through what a typical ‘day in the life of’ looks like for both junior and senior dental hygiene students.”

... See More